AUSTIN, Texas—The Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin, Texas, played host to Shen Yun Performing Arts on Saturday, Aug. 7, for two shows in what’s known as “The Live Music Capital of the World,” a reference to the many musicians and live music venues within the area.
The New York-based performing arts company, presenting classical Chinese dance and music, folk and ethnic dance, and musical soloists played to an enthusiastic full-house Saturday afternoon with lots of laughter and clapping.
David Johnson, owner of a conglomerate of businesses, described the show as “fabulous.”
He was impressed with the dancers, saying they were “very energetic, very, very well coordinated … They were amazing! They could do things and dance like I had never really seen before, and it was absolutely a delight to watch.”
Mr. Johnson had brought his wife to the show for their 27th anniversary after hearing that Shen Yun was a colorful and fun event.
Equally impressive for Mr. Johnson were the many other aspects of the show, including the International Company’s orchestra, which combines traditional Chinese and classical Western instruments, producing a unique sound.
Mr. Johnson said the orchestra was phenomenal. “It was unique in that it was a mix of Western and cultural Chinese, classical Chinese, which I found very refreshing, and very new to me,” he said.
And of the vocalists, he said: “Top notch. They’re as good as they get. They’re very professional, and I really enjoyed them.”
Mr. Johnson gleaned a number of messages from the show to do with Chinese culture, spirituality, freedom and human rights.
“I think the message has to do with Chinese culture, and to a certain degree, Chinese religion, and also it had a message of freedom. The message of standing up for human rights, and standing up for the freedom of the Chinese people in China. It was very nice to watch,” he proclaimed.
The performance evoked a variety of feelings for Mr. Johnson, and overall he enjoyed the colors and the pageantry of the dances and the music, saying they were “enlightening and delightful.”
Shen Yun’s digital backdrop with its scenes of blossoming landscapes and celestial palaces, was something that Mr. Johnson said added to the performance. “Very bright, very colorful! I think that added a lot to the performance, the combination of the backdrops and the costumes was phenomenal. Very well presented,” he said.
Mr. Johnson said that he would watch the show again. “Oh, absolutely. My only regret is that I didn’t bring my mother-in-law. She would have loved it.” And hearing that Shen Yun would be returning to Texas next year, he said: “Well, that'll be a must-see for grandma.”
With reporting by Catherine Yang.
Shen Yun Performing Arts will next perform at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, GA, for two shows on Aug. 21. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
The New York-based performing arts company, presenting classical Chinese dance and music, folk and ethnic dance, and musical soloists played to an enthusiastic full-house Saturday afternoon with lots of laughter and clapping.
David Johnson, owner of a conglomerate of businesses, described the show as “fabulous.”
He was impressed with the dancers, saying they were “very energetic, very, very well coordinated … They were amazing! They could do things and dance like I had never really seen before, and it was absolutely a delight to watch.”
Mr. Johnson had brought his wife to the show for their 27th anniversary after hearing that Shen Yun was a colorful and fun event.
Equally impressive for Mr. Johnson were the many other aspects of the show, including the International Company’s orchestra, which combines traditional Chinese and classical Western instruments, producing a unique sound.
Mr. Johnson said the orchestra was phenomenal. “It was unique in that it was a mix of Western and cultural Chinese, classical Chinese, which I found very refreshing, and very new to me,” he said.
And of the vocalists, he said: “Top notch. They’re as good as they get. They’re very professional, and I really enjoyed them.”
Mr. Johnson gleaned a number of messages from the show to do with Chinese culture, spirituality, freedom and human rights.
“I think the message has to do with Chinese culture, and to a certain degree, Chinese religion, and also it had a message of freedom. The message of standing up for human rights, and standing up for the freedom of the Chinese people in China. It was very nice to watch,” he proclaimed.
The performance evoked a variety of feelings for Mr. Johnson, and overall he enjoyed the colors and the pageantry of the dances and the music, saying they were “enlightening and delightful.”
Shen Yun’s digital backdrop with its scenes of blossoming landscapes and celestial palaces, was something that Mr. Johnson said added to the performance. “Very bright, very colorful! I think that added a lot to the performance, the combination of the backdrops and the costumes was phenomenal. Very well presented,” he said.
Mr. Johnson said that he would watch the show again. “Oh, absolutely. My only regret is that I didn’t bring my mother-in-law. She would have loved it.” And hearing that Shen Yun would be returning to Texas next year, he said: “Well, that'll be a must-see for grandma.”
With reporting by Catherine Yang.
Shen Yun Performing Arts will next perform at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, GA, for two shows on Aug. 21. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
